When planning for your new Tesla, one of the most common concerns is how long it will take to charge up each day. The biggest question is can you recover the miles you use in a typical day by plugging in overnight while you sleep? What charging setup do you need to get you through the day?
The answer is a resounding “it depends”. Obviously, everyone’s driving patterns are different, but a rough calculation is easy.
Whichever solution you choose, the electricity costs will be the same. Your electrical bill is based on how much electricity you use, so it doesn’t matter how quickly that electricity is delivered.
Calculator: How much will my electricity bill go up?
The different Tesla’s charge at different speeds. This is based on weight and aerodynamics of the car, not the battery capacity, so there is no difference in charging speed between the Standard Range, Long Range or Performance.
The other biggest variable is how much do you drive in a typical day. How far is it for a round trip to and from work each day? Do you need a buffer for evening activities for groceries or errands? We are looking for a conservative average. You don’t have to include one-off trips that only happen occasionally, but try to include typical activities that happen 3 times a week or more.
Typically, you will want to plug in your car each night at home. We all need to sleep at night, and charging while you sleep means that you wake up every morning to a full tank. The charging speed will depend on your home charger.
Mobile Charger in a standard 110v outlet
The Mobile Charger and 110v adapter that comes with your Tesla is the easiest way to charge. It is slow, but it likely won’t need any installation or wiring to make it work. Everything you need is included when you buy the car, and you probably already have a plug in your garage. On a daily basis, you will need to charge for to recover miles.
On a daily basis, you will be fine charging overnight while you sleep.
This might be longer than your overnight sleeping hours, but if you plug in when you get home from work and charge until you leave in the morning, you should be okay.
That is just not fast enough. You will want to look at the other options below. 110v charging will not be enough for you on a daily basis.
Mobile Charger on a NEMA 14-50 outlet
This is the most common solution for home charging. If you get an electrician to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet, and use the Mobile Charger with a 14-50 adapter (available from Tesla for about $45), you’ll be able to recover miles in .
On a daily basis, this will be all you need to charge overnight while you sleep. You will wake up every morning to a full charge.
This might be longer than your overnight sleeping hours, but if you plug in when you get home from work and charge until you leave in the morning, you should be okay.
A 14-50 outlet will likely not be enough for charging overnight on a daily basis.
Tesla Wall Connector
You can increase the speed further with the Tesla Wall Connector. You can have an electrician install the Wall Connector (available from Tesla for about $550) which is hard-wired to your electrical panel, and you will be able to recover miles in just .
On a daily basis, you will be fine charging overnight while you sleep.
This might be longer than your overnight sleeping hours, but if you plug in when you get home from work and charge until you leave in the morning, you should be okay.
On a daily basis even a Wall Connector might not be enough for your needs. You might need to rely on SuperChargers to get you through the day.
See also: Let’s talk about the Wall Connector
Comparison
So looking at the 3 most common charging options for your commute:
If you can recover your daily driving miles overnight while you sleep, you should be good!
What about unexpected long trips?
There will always be out-of-the-ordinary long trips from time to time, but these can be covered by just plugging in a little longer afterwards, recovering those miles over several nights, or a quick stop for a top up at a Supercharger.
